Would fighting type chicken breeds help protect the flock?

[NatJ]

Hello guys, a friend of mine has been having issues with her dog. She has an electric fence around the coop, and its throughly predator proofed, but the hens know the grass is greener on the other side. Their boy has gotten 2 chickens in the last 2 weeks. Just opening the door they can run out, and boom, they don't know what hit them.

If the chickens are coming out the door when she opens it, maybe make a small pen outside the door, with a door on that small pen too. Then she can go into the small pen, close that door, and go into the main chicken pen. When coming out, make sure all chickens are back in the main pen and the door is closed BEFORE opening the small pen to go out.

Like an airlock, or a mud room, or an arctic entry, or any of the other situations where you really need to keep something out or in.

The few extra feet of fence plus an extra door, and probably two more fence posts, may not be any more expensive or more effort than locating, buying, and perhaps raising a special kind of chicken--and will probably work better, too. The small pen would not even need to be fully predator proof, because chickens would not be in it for any length of time.

 

[RiverOtter]

No.

Just that simple.
The real question is, why aren't you training the dog until August??? Put the dog on leash with a chain/pop collar.
Walk the dog on a LOOSE leash - how you do that is when the dog is at the end of the leash POP it!! POP POP POP until the dog drops slack in the leash. you don't pull, you don't tug, you absolutely don't drag, just practice POPPING that leash. You flick your wrist and the dog is next to you - exactly nothing happens. You do it and the dog is within an inch of the end, the chain collar goes zzzziPOP and snaps against the back of its neck.

So, walk on a loose leash near the chickens. When the dog LOOKS at a chicken, pop that leash and snarl like a bear, bad dog. When the dog looks at you, GOOD dog!!

Where their eyes are, is where their mind is. So yeah, punish looking. You and God are both going to score points for impure thoughts.

Do that closer and closer until you can be next to a chicken and the dog will studiously ignore the evil thing.

 

[Weeg]

If the chickens are coming out the door when she opens it, maybe make a small pen outside the door, with a door on that small pen too. Then she can go into the small pen, close that door, and go into the main chicken pen. When coming out, make sure all chickens are back in the main pen and the door is closed BEFORE opening the small pen to go out.

Like an airlock, or a mud room, or an arctic entry, or any of the other situations where you really need to keep something out or in.

The few extra feet of fence plus an extra door, and probably two more fence posts, may not be any more expensive or more effort than locating, buying, and perhaps raising a special kind of chicken--and will probably work better, too. The small pen would not even need to be fully predator proof, because chickens would not be in it for any length of time.

Thats a good idea, I'll definitely mention that to her. Thanks! This is very helpful.

 

[Weeg]

No.

Just that simple.
The real question is, why aren't you training the dog until August??? Put the dog on leash with a chain/pop collar.
Walk the dog on a LOOSE leash - how you do that is when the dog is at the end of the leash POP it!! POP POP POP until the dog drops slack in the leash. you don't pull, you don't tug, you absolutely don't drag, just practice POPPING that leash. You flick your wrist and the dog is next to you - exactly nothing happens. You do it and the dog is within an inch of the end, the chain collar goes zzzziPOP and snaps against the back of its neck.

So, walk on a loose leash near the chickens. When the dog LOOKS at a chicken, pop that leash and snarl like a bear, bad dog. When the dog looks at you, GOOD dog!!

Where their eyes are, is where their mind is. So yeah, punish looking. You and God are both going to score points for impure thoughts.

Do that closer and closer until you can be next to a chicken and the dog will studiously ignore the evil thing.

Were doing the course together. The check chain trains the way your showing. We'll work with him until then, but the course we singed up for is in August, it gets booked out pretty fast.

 

[Joe Wooten]

No.

tell your friend to train their dog.

Or give them a warning and shoot it the next time it gets a chicken.

 

[chickentrains]

Or give them a warning and shoot it the next time it gets a chicken.

um dogs wont understand warnings...

I would of suggested an E-collar...

 

[Weeg]

No.

Just that simple.
The real question is, why aren't you training the dog until August??? Put the dog on leash with a chain/pop collar.
Walk the dog on a LOOSE leash - how you do that is when the dog is at the end of the leash POP it!! POP POP POP until the dog drops slack in the leash. you don't pull, you don't tug, you absolutely don't drag, just practice POPPING that leash. You flick your wrist and the dog is next to you - exactly nothing happens. You do it and the dog is within an inch of the end, the chain collar goes zzzziPOP and snaps against the back of its neck.

So, walk on a loose leash near the chickens. When the dog LOOKS at a chicken, pop that leash and snarl like a bear, bad dog. When the dog looks at you, GOOD dog!!

Where their eyes are, is where their mind is. So yeah, punish looking. You and God are both going to score points for impure thoughts.

Do that closer and closer until you can be next to a chicken and the dog will studiously ignore the evil thing.

I am aware of this training as well.
We have always raised Labs, so they're really good with chickens. I've also worked with friends Labs and chickens, but Labs are easy to train and work with. He's a Husky, making him much more stubborn then I've ever trained. I've always taught my dogs commands using a check chain, and its worked well, just never trained anything so stubborn, as Husky vs. Labradors are very different dogs.
I know that training is key here, I was just looking to see if a different breed would offer any additional protection at all, I wasn't looking at it as an alternative to proper training.

 

[NatJ]

Or give them a warning and shoot it the next time it gets a chicken.

I think the dog and the chickens belong to the same person, and OP is just asking for advice on behalf of that person. So not the usual situation of one person's dog killing a different person's chickens.

 

[RiverOtter]

I am aware of this training as well.
We have always raised Labs, so they're really good with chickens. I've also worked with friends Labs and chickens, but Labs are easy to train and work with. He's a Husky, making him much more stubborn then I've ever trained. I've always taught my dogs commands using a check chain, and its worked well, just never trained anything so stubborn, as Husky vs. Labradors are very different dogs.
I know that training is key here, I was just looking to see if a different breed would offer any additional protection at all, I wasn't looking at it as an alternative to proper training.

Sorry to disappoint, but fighting breeds fight each other. They are still chickens, and still react to a predator the same, and honestly aren't a fighting match for a terrier, much less a husky.

To be the bearer of more bad news - listen, I work with dogs a LOT, and not every husky can be trained to poultry. Them and sighthounds, some of them can just never overcome all that instinct and resist prey. I knew someone with a husky that got nailed by porcupines 3 or 4 times a year, EVERY year.

Now, in fairness, I've known plenty of huskies and the occasional sighthound who CAN. So by all means, train. I would never say to not train.

But definitely also improve the coop.

 

[Weeg]

To be the bearer of more bad news - listen, I work with dogs a LOT, and not every husky can be trained to poultry. Them and sighthounds, some of them can just never overcome all that instinct and resist prey. I knew someone with a husky that got nailed by porcupines 3 or 4 times a year, EVERY year.

Ya, I'm aware of this. Were hoping that training will help some, but maybe never stop the problem completely. That was why I was asking about fighting breeds, as we may need more protection long term. I now know thats not gonna work, and will work on a second fence outside the door.